Looking Forward
by chussiee93
Summary: Lisa's 1019 red eye flight to Miami has been cancelled so she's forced to spend one last night at the hotel before going home. Her dad is worried and Cynthia is anxious about dealing with Keefe's arrival, but in the end it's Lisa who has the worst nightmare to face as Jackson is able to deal with business privately.
1. Chapter 1

"Shit."

Lisa ran her hand through her hair and stared at the flashing board in front of her, hoping that if she looked at it long enough she would realize it was a mistake. But the words in red remained unchanged, and she was forced finally accept that her flight had been cancelled.

"Just what I need…" she muttered as she pulled her gaze away from the screens. The past week had been rough and she'd been looking forward to getting home, even if it meant dealing with work and bills. She prided herself on patience, though, so no matter how annoyed she ever got she tried not to let it show. Slowly, she wandered off deeper into the airport, bumping against aggravated and rain-soaked people until she found the information desk. She walked up to the woman working there - Andrea, from her nametag - and, as habit would have it, mustered up her most charming smile.

"Hi. My flight was cancelled so I was just wondering how to go about arranging for another ticket?" She handed Andrea her flight information and watched quietly as the woman began clacking away at her computer.

"I'm so sorry, there's a pretty bad storm coming in that's grounded most of tonight's flights." Andrea said, shaking her head. "I'm afraid they're not going to start flying out again for another five hours or so, and it looks like your flight is being directed to #576, which boards tomorrow at 8:30. I can exchange your ticket for free, if that time works for you."

Lisa sighed and checked her watch. In just a few hours she was expected at the Lux Atlantic to greet the Senator, and God only knew she was the sole employee at that hotel who could keep his stay comfortable and most importantly private. But there didn't seem to be too many other options and she wasn't going to argue with the woman, so reluctantly she agreed to have her ticket exchanged for the 8:30 flight.

After pocketing her new ticket she drifted off to a quiet corner of the airport and pulled out her cell, dialing her coworker Cynthia. She sat down on the bench as the line rung and let her gaze surf the crowd. Families and businessmen hurried by in blurs of color and noise. Honestly, it was all giving her a headache. She was considered a people person but when it came down to it, she'd much rather keep to herself and avoid everyone else. Her eyes wandered to the left until it found a stable object she could observe, but she started as she realized the man she had found was staring at her. He was tall, with brown shaggy hair and eyes the color of ice. When he realized he'd been caught, he smiled and gave her a head nod, then shrugged off the pillar he was leaning against and walked away.

"Lux Atlantic Hotel, how may I help you?"

Lisa pushed down her surprise and focused her attention. "Hey Cynthia, it's me."

"Lisa! Don't worry, I'm getting everything ready now, I'm just waiting on the sparkling water. This man is so picky…"

Lisa smiled. She remembered just a few years ago when she was in Cynthia's position, scrambling to gather random items to satisfy her customers, stressing over little details. Not that she was ever able relax now. "Well I hate to break it to you but I think you're going to have to prepare for more than a meet and greet tomorrow."

There was a pause. "But wait, you're gonna be here, right? In the morning I mean? Leese I'm serious I don't think I can do anything other than show him his room, I'll mess everything else up."

"Don't think that way, Cynth, you'll be fine. Just remember to update his itinerary. The man you want to give that to is Lowell, not Keefe. And in the morning make sure the kitchen knows to prepare all of Mrs. Keefe's food with only organic vegetables, I'm not kidding when I say she'll notice. Oh, and clear the pool around ten tomorrow for the kids, they'll want to go swimming but the security detail doesn't like other people in the area."

"Oh God….ok, I think I got it. When will you be back? Please please _please_ say soon…"

"I'll be in around eleven, hopefully, twelve at the latest. If you need anything or have any questions, call me_. _It's good publicity, having Keefe at the Lux, so I'd really like to keep him as a visitor, not to mention they're one of the few families I like."

"I'll be fine." She didn't sound convinced. "Have a safe flight, Leese, we'll keep things in check over here."

"Thanks, good luck. See you tomorrow."

She got off the phone and called her dad to let him know about the cancellation. When she was done, she checked her watch and sighed, counting another seven hours before she needed to be back. She grabbed her bag and decided to go back to the hotel for the night and hopefully squeeze in a few hours of sleep.

It was pouring when she walked outside to the taxi lot and within thirty seconds she was drenched to the bone. By the time she reached the hotel she was cold and anxious about both her flight and how Cynthia was going to handle the Keefes tomorrow. She took a deep breath. Her anxiety had been getting way out of control lately, no matter what she did to try and relieve it. This week didn't help what with her Grandmother's funeral and seeing her mother and dealing with arrangements for the Senator from a different state. So right after she checked into her room again she wandered over to the bar area and plopped down. She ordered her usual sea breeze and downed a large sip, sighing in relief as she felt the alcohol run through her system. She pulled out her trusted self-help book and flipped open to where she had left off.

"Dr. Phil. I've been known to turn to him in my spare time, too."

Lisa looked up at the voice and was surprised to see the man who had been staring at her in the airport. He was even more handsome up close. She laughed nervously, looking back at her book and shrugged a bit. "My dad's given me so many I could start my own library. After a while I gave in and started looking at them."

The man smiled and reached out his hand. "Name's Jackson."

Lisa took it and introduced herself. "Is it Jack for short?"

"No, no. I haven't gone by that since I was ten. Last name's Rippner."

Lisa repeated the name, looking for the significance, before it hit her and she winced visibly. "Oohh….that wasn't very nice of your parents."

"Yeah that's what I told them. Before I killed them."

Lisa laughed uncomfortably and reached out for her drink, both charmed and unsure of the man standing next to her.

"I don't mean to interrupt, I just noticed you sitting here and thought I'd clear the air. I know you caught me looking at you back in the airport and I'm a bit embarrassed actually. One of those awkward moments…"

Lisa felt her cheeks growing red but pushed forward. "Oh, no really it's fine. I'm just surprised to see you here is all. What a coincidence."

Jackson smiled and pointed to the seat next to her. "Mind if I join you?" He was incredibly handsome and pleasant, and though Lisa hated to admit it she felt herself feeling more comfortable holding a conversation with him. Jackson however seemed to take her hesitation as a no and looked abashed. "I'm sorry," he said, "I didn't mean to invade your space. I'll let you get back to your book."

In accordance to Lisa's character she immediately felt guilty and pushed Dr. Phil to the side. "No no, please, it'd be my pleasure." She smiled and pushed the chair toward him, which he took with a thank you.

"So was your flight cancelled too, or were you just getting in?" Lisa asked.

"Cancelled, unfortunately. Can't seem to catch a break lately."  
"Why's that?"

"Ah, work, you know. Calls every minute of the day, never finding time to breathe…How about you? Cancelled?"

"Mhmm. I was headed back to Miami, but fortunately I don't have to wait too long to get back."

"Wait…Miami? Flight 1019?"

Lisa cocked her head and nodded, a shrewd smile on her face. "Don't tell me we were supposed to be on the same plane."

Jackson let out a laugh and put his hands up in an innocent manner. "I swear I'm not lying, that was my flight." His laugh died down and he squinted his eyes a bit suspiciously. "Wait a minute…you're not stalking me, are you?"

Lisa froze, not sure how to respond. She clumsily shook her head and let out an unsure "no" before he smiled and she relaxed, realizing he was joking. "Ugh," she put her hand to her forehead in embarrassment, "you got me."

"I'm sorry." He laughed and leaned against the bar. "So are you taking the 8:30 flight back tomorrow?"

She nodded her head while swallowing a sip of her drink. "Yeah, thankfully. My dad is probably worried sick, he hates when I'm away."

"Overprotective?"

"More…overworried."

"Ahh, got it. Well does he have reason to worry about you?"

Lisa glanced up at him and thought about that. He seemed genuinely curious so she tried to give him a genuine answer. "Well even if he does, I mean…he's just gotta get used to the fact that life changes and sometimes things happen."

Jackson nodded and grew silent. Lisa found she was ok with the silence, it was comfortable. She almost enjoyed sitting next to this man, and felt as though she could open up to him, tell him things she hadn't told anyone and above that she found that she _wanted _to tell him. But before she had the chance to continue the conversation his phone began to ring. He drew it from his pocket and sighed. "I'm sorry." He whispered before he flipped open the cell.

"Hello?...yeah, hold on." He put his hand over the speaker and faced her. "I'm so sorry, I have to take this."  
"Oh, it's fine! Really, go ahead."

"It was so nice meeting you." He stood and slid some bills onto the bar, effectively paying for her drink. "Hopefully I'll see you on the flight tomorrow."

"Yeah, definitely."

She waved goodbye as he sped off, feeling a bit sad as she watched him leave. She let out a long breath and chugged down the rest of her drink. _'Always look forward' _she thought to herself, feeling a pang of sadness as the thought of her grandmother came to mind.

She stood and began walking back to her room, feeling the mix of alcohol and fatigue hit her. _'Oh well' _she thought, _'He was too charming to be real anyway. There was probably something wrong with him.'_

Heyoooooo. So before I continue I just want to throw it out there that I have had a few drinks tonight so please ignore any mistakes there might have been. I didn't reread this and I'm feeling a bit cloudy. Anywho my last story I'm still working on, don't worry, but let's be honest it's pretty complicated and it got a little too conspiratorial for even my own taste, so I decided to work on just a simple rewrite and have fun with the world of Red Eye. The next chapter will get into more Jackson/Lisa I'm-here-to-get-you-to-do-something-evil type of thing, I just wanted to set up the beginning and see how realistically I could manage their interactions. Please leave a review! That would be mucho appreciated :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi y'all! So this next chapter might be a tad repetitive of the movie, but I tried mixing it up a bit. I'm also not planning on having one of those "It's the same exact script just a different setting" type of fics, so this will be the last chapter that somewhat follows along with the film. Promise. Enjoy!**

As soon as she slid into her cotton pajama shorts and oversized v-neck, Lisa felt the familiar wave of fatigue hit her. All she wanted was to crawl into her temporary king size bed and sleep for days and days, but of course that wasn't an option. In fact, she couldn't remember the last time she had slept in without any immediate obligations weighing on her mind. Probably sometime in her early teenage years, but even then she was always anxious about exams and friends. Life just seemed to be one long tiring to-do list, but to be honest she didn't know what she would do without the structure. It kept her going and - most importantly - kept the memories from surfacing. So it was with understood, if reluctant acceptance that Lisa set her alarm and climbed into bed.

She had hardly closed her eyes before she heard a knock on the door. She pushed her head into her pillow and groaned, determined to ignore whoever it was and sleep through it. But after the knock came two more times, Lisa's people pleasing skills clicked into place and she pulled herself out of bed toward the door.

When she opened it, she was nothing but surprised to see Jackson standing there with one arm raised as if to knock again. He was still in his suit and although he looked just as handsome as he did a half hour ago, he seemed appropriately abashed to see her in her pajamas. Lisa in return was just as embarrassed to be seen in such little clothing and kept the door cracked so only her head peered through. "Oh!" She looked down at herself and smiled nervously. "I'm sorry, I was just headed to bed." _Please get the hint._

He let his hand drop to his side and stumbled over his words a bit. "I'm sorry, I…I just, I didn't mean to bother you. I guess I didn't realize how late it had gotten."

"It's fine!" _Please let me sleep. _"What can I do for you?"

"I was hoping I could come in for a second, actually. I won't stay long, I promise."

Lisa hesitated. Alarms started ringing in her head, but she was trying to quickly rationalize what the appropriate response should be. She absolutely did not want to be alone in a room, half dressed and defenseless with a man she hardly knew. On the other hand, he seemed incredibly polite and good-natured and she highly doubted he meant her any harm. And she didn't want to disappoint him by letting her irrational feelings get in the way and telling him to leave. Her nerves won out in the end, though, as she knew they would. "Um…maybe we could wait 'til we get to the airport tomorrow to finish our conversation? If you don't mind, I mean. I've had a pretty long day."

He looked insistent, though. "I know this is incredibly out of line, but I was really hoping we could talk just for another moment. Please."

Lisa couldn't help the small sigh that passed her lips as she opened the door wider to let him pass. _There's really no point in trying to sleep now anyway. _Jackson thanked her and walked to the center of the room, turning to face her as the door closed. She took a few steps towards him but was sure to keep her distance and remain between him and the only exit. She folded her arms uncomfortably trying to conceal as much of herself as possible, becoming increasingly aware of how much skin her t-shirt was showing. "So…" she started. "What's up?"

He didn't say anything. He looked much more relaxed than just a few seconds ago when he was out in the hallway, his hands in his pockets and his feet shoulder-width apart. The silence filled the space and seemed to quench all of the oxygen in the room. Eventually his stare became too uncomfortable for Lisa to handle and she held herself tighter, looking at anything and everything but the man in front of her. She was just about to ask him to leave when finally, a full two minutes later, he spoke.

"Your father…you and him are close?"

She didn't know what she was expecting of this visit but it certainly wasn't a conversation about her father. "Um…yeah, I suppose so."

"I have something you might want to take a look at." And with that he drew his right hand out of his pocket and threw a small square onto the bed.

Lisa felt her heart beat faster, realizing with clear and immediate panic that letting this man into her room was a mistake. She stared at him for a moment longer before walking numbly to the bed. A glance was all she needed to recognize the engraved leather wallet lying there, forming a faultless indent in the hotel's comforter. She gasped, her hand flying to her mouth and the familiar stinging pricking the edges of her eyes. Her brain tried to rationalize what was happening but failed, the initial shock starting to set in.

"Where did you get that?" She was surprised at how demanding her voice sounded, what with her brain not working at the moment.

"My partner grabbed it off of your father's desk, right next to…I believe it was your graduation picture."

Lisa's breath caught in her throat. He'd been in her father's house. He'd taken something of his, something personal. She was trying to piece everything together when he spoke again.

"JR," he said, identifying the small silver inscription on the corner of the wallet, "Joe Reisert. Definitely his initials. But hey, mine too. Jackson Rippner. Doesn't take much to convince someone this is mine." Lisa snapped her head up to meet his stare. His eyes seemed so much colder than before; she couldn't understand how she ever found them beautiful. He made sure he had her attention before he continued. "Tell anyone, and your dad dies."

Dizziness and a nauseous fear overtook her and she shook her head in confusion. "I don't…I don't understand…"

"Charles Keefe. Recognize him?"

Instinct told her to play dumb. "No."

Jackson cocked his head in a strange side nod. "You should, seeing as he's currently on his way to your hotel."

"Have you done something to my father?"

"No. And it will stay that way as long as you keep playing along."

Lisa closed her eyes, trying to hold back the tears threating to spill at an alarming rate. "What do you want from me?"

"I need you to use your managerial pull to move Keefe from room 3825 to suit 4080. I'll leave the details to you, you just sell it."

"No, you don't understand, I don't have that kind of authority, I-"

"Well I happen to know that you _do, _and I happen to know that you're the only one who can get it done by the time I need it done."

Lisa stared blankly at the bed again, trying to figure a way out of this. What did he want with Keefe? Who was this man? Why was he threatening her family? Her mind was racing, but the one thought that was consistently pressing at her was- _run. _But she was staring at the wallet again and the thought of finding her father dead when - if - she got home kept her rooted to the spot. She eventually forced herself to ask the question she was afraid she already knew the answer to. "Are you going to…" her hands clenched tightly and she closed her eyes, pushing herself to finish the sentence. "Are you going to kill Keefe?"

"That's not something you need to worry about. All I need you to do is bottle the emotion, sit down, and call your friends at the Lux. It's simple, Leese. Let's not make this any more difficult than it needs to be."

"I'm not going to be a part of this, I won't let you kill an innocent man."

"I don't think you have too much of a say. You know, I'm surprised. For someone who claims to have such a great relationship with her father you don't seem to be worrying too much about him."

"How do I know you haven't already hurt him?"

Jackson took a step closer to her, and by now he was within arms reach. "Well the last time I heard he was sitting in the tv room eating leftover lasagna and watching the comedy marathon." Lisa choked at hearing this, as it was exactly the kind of thing her father _would _be doing. "Relax, Leese." He continued. "By now my guy is probably back in his silver beamer parked outside 9321, Blossom Palms Lane? He's sitting in the dark listening to a little smooth jazz while he sharpens his twelve inch K-bar….that's a knife, Leese."

And suddenly, with an unexpected vividness, she knew she couldn't make the call. She was shaking uncontrollably and crying, but for the first time since he came into the room she was able to think clearly. Making the phone call would end a man's life, as would denying Jackson the task. But Lisa prided herself on morality, and there was nothing less moral than getting involved in a murder no matter how reluctant one was. Her father came first, and admittedly she counted her own safety as a close second, but there was no way she was going to let Keefe die without a fight.

She met Jackson's gaze and mustered as much authority as she could given the current situation. "I wanna talk to my dad."

"Sure. After you make the call."

"No. I want to know he's ok right now or I don't call anybody."

Jackson stared at her, weighing his options. The silence seemed to go on forever, but unlike last time Lisa held her gaze. Finally he pursed his lips and walked past her to the desk where her purse sat, brushing her shoulder as he went. He pulled out her phone and dialed for her, putting it in her outstretched palm. "Thirty seconds."

And God did those thirty seconds go fast.

With every repeated ring, Lisa became more certain that her father was lying in a pool of his own blood in front of a flashing, laughing television. Her heart was beating uncontrollably and she turned her body away from the terrifying man in her room so he would see the tears stream silently down her face.

Finally, a lifetime later, she heard the blessed sound of her dad on the other line. "Hello?"

"Dad?"

There was a pause. "Leese? Everything alright?"

Lisa let out a huge sigh of relief and from the briefest of moments thought about warning him. But the thought passed in a wave of sense. "Yeah, I'm fine I just…I couldn't sleep, I thought I would check in."

"You have a long day tomorrow honey, you should try and rest. There's a comedy marathon on channel 90, try watching that for a while it'll put you right to sleep."

He's watching the comedy marathon. "Yeah, good idea. I'll-" But before she could get any other words out Jackson ripped the phone from her ear and snapped it shut. Lisa tried reaching for it but instead directed her hands to cover her face.

"Happy? I hope that's a yes because that's the best I can do. I don't lie, Leese, so you'll know I'm being honest when I say nothing good can come of you fighting me. Now…" He flipped the phone open again and redialed, this time grabbing her wrist until she was forced to open her fingers and accept the device. "Let's get this over with."

**Let me know what you think! Next chapter will get into some actiony type stuff, and hopefully I can have some fun with it since Jackson and Lisa are in private and he can be angry whenever he wants. Review review review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hiya peeps! So I know it's been a while. But I feel like people have just come to expect that from me. But here's another chapter! *yaay* It's not mah best, but it'll get me back into the swing of things. So enjoy and please please update! :) **

* * *

The phone was ringing. The phone was ringing, and her heart was pounding, and Jackson was too close, his cologne was too strong, she was going to pass out, she couldn't do this, what could she say?…

"Lux Atlantic Hotel, this is Cynthia speaking, how may I help you?"

Lisa was drawn out of her daze by the ever so perky voice of her coworker. She took a deep breath and pictured her father sitting at home, oblivious to everything happening, and cleared her throat. "Cynthia, it's Lisa."

"Oh hi! You're up late, is everything ok?"

Her nerves were so high she almost laughed, but caught herself just before the noise escaped her lips. "Yeah, I'm fine."

It was quiet for a second before Cynthia prompted her. "Sooo, what's up?"

_Think, think, think…_Jackson's grabbed her arm tightly and Lisa glanced over at him, eliciting a _"_hurry the fuck up" look from her captor. She tried pulling out of his grasp but he wouldn't give in, so she gave him a frustrated look in return and decided to stall for as long as possible. "How's everything for the Secretary?"

"Same as before, I think we're pretty set. Honestly Leese, I know you're worried but I have it all under control."

"I know." Suddenly a thought occurred to her. The phone was on the opposite side of her face, out of Jackson's line of sight. She didn't know if he could hear Cynthia on the other end, but after a quick prediction of the possible consequences, decided it was worth a shot. She slowly moved her thumb up the keypad, keeping it close to her ear, in an attempt to find the 'end' button. Her voice became louder and more determined as she focused on keeping Jackson distracted from her movements. "There's a small problem, though. Nothing huge, I just need you to do me a favor."

"Alright, what's that?"

As her finger found the desired button, Lisa took a breath, looked at Jackson who gave her an encouraging nod, and held down the button. There was a brief beep and as the line and eventually the phone went dead, and an odd combination of relief and anxiety filled her body to the point where she wasn't sure she could remain conscious for much longer. She kept her gaze focused on her knees, hoping she could convince Jackson for just another minute.

"I need you to switch Keefe's room from 3825 to 4080…..yeah….no, there's just a plumbing problem. It should be figured out by tomorrow but I don't want to take any chances….the code? It's 70482….thanks Cynthia, you're the best. I'll call in the morning."

She shut the phone fast and handed it to Jackson, her heart racing, hoping more than anything he would believe she went through with it. She sat still on the bed, waiting for him to yell or hit her or call the man outside of her father's house, but none of that happened.

"See Leese?" Jackson said, pocketing the phone, "it wasn't that hard, was it?"

She let out a sigh of relief as the tears threatened once again to spill down her cheeks. She shook her head and gripped the edge of the bed, sliding away from him after realizing he had let go of her arm. "It's your turn."

"My turn for what, exactly?"

"You _know _what. Call off your man at my father's house."

Jackson looked away for a moment and pursed his lips thoughtfully before shaking his head. "Sorry Leese, can't do that. Not yet."

The tears couldn't be contained anymore, but now they were due more to anger than fear. "I did what you asked, you don't need me anymore. I need to know my father is safe."

"As much as I'd love to leave you to yourself and get on with my life, I have the unfortunate task of babysitting you until I receive confirmation from my man at the hotel. The alternative is much less pleasant, Leese, so I suggest you shut up for now and get some sleep."

Lisa shuddered at the thought of what the "alternative" could be, but decided not to argue with him at the moment. She clenched her jaw and slid back against he headboard of the bed, crossing her arms and keeping an eye on Jackson. He seemed incredibly relaxed and at home in her room, sliding off his jacket and reaching for the remote control. He pulled a chair across the room so it sat between the bed and the door, and plopped down in it, seemingly paying no attention to a growingly anxious Lisa.

In an attempt to calm down, she closed her eyes and rested her pounding head against the wooden headboard. She was happy Jackson seemed to believe the phone call, but was terrified he would somehow find out she had lied. She needed to find some way to call her dad and tell him to leave. The problem was that her phone was currently in Jackson's pocket, leaving her with very little options. Getting out of the room was her best bet, but then she would need to find a phone before Jackson had a chance to call his dog. And there seemed to be no way out now that he was sitting in front of the door. But she was far from giving up, and she absolutely did not want to stick around for when Jackson got a call confirming she had not gone through with their bargain.

She glanced around the room looking for anything she could use to fight, or escape, but nothing seemed to jump out at her. But then she noticed the placement of the bathroom. Like any standard hotel room, the bathroom was right next to the exit. If she could somehow get out into the hallway, maybe she could get someone to help her. She couldn't imagine Jackson would risk getting caught by the other hotel residents by following her. But he still had the phone…

_Fuck it, it's worth a shot. _She scooted over to the edge of the bed and stood up, her heart racing with anxiety. Jackson did not miss the movement and immediately looked over, giving her a hard but amused stare.

"And where do you think you're going?"

"I have to use the bathroom."

Jackson pursed his lips and stared at her for a moment longer, deciding whether he would allow that. It wasn't long though before he stood up and walked over to her. Lisa flinched backwards when he went to grab her arm and pushed him away. "I can walk by myself, thanks."

Jackson smirked and stepped aside, allowing her to pass with mock politeness. As soon as Lisa walked forward though, she almost wish she had allowed him to stand next to her as it was immensely more frightening not being able to see where he was.

Jackson reached forward and opened the bathroom door, walking in first to scan the surroundings. After deciding there was nothing weapon-like in the room, he walked out and leaned against the wall. "Two minutes." He said.

The door slammed shut as Lisa hurried to gain some privacy. Immediately after the lock clicked, the stress from past hour washed over her and she slid down on the ground, allowing her tears to finally flow freely. She put a hand over her mouth in an attempt to muffle the noise from her panic attack, fully aware of how close Jackson was standing from the door.

Out of all the hotels in America, Keefe had to come to the Lux. She had already felt like karma owed her a solid, but it didn't look like life was ready to stop shitting on her quite yet. She was tired of it. She would not let Keefe or her father die, and she absolutely would not give Jackson the satisfaction of her obedience.

Slowly, she calmed down and dragged herself up from the floor. She grabbed the edge of the sink for support and stared at herself, disheveled and tear stained, yet looking more determined than she had felt all night. As she turned on the faucet and soothed her red cheeks with cool water, she contemplated her options. She figured she had maybe another hour or so before anyone would notice the switch had not been made. That didn't give her a lot of time, but she also wasn't planning on sticking around too much longer to test out that time frame. Leaving the water running, she looked around the small room for anything she could use against Jackson. There wasn't much- a few complementary bottles of shampoo and conditioner, some towels, a ceramic soap dish…_that might work. _She held it in her hand and weighed it. It was small and light, but she figured some damage could be done. Keeping it in her hand, she quietly opened a drawer to her left and found something more useful. Inside was a small plastic hair dryer, heavier than that of the dish and hopefully something that could inflict more harm. She wrapped the cord around her hand and held the handle, feeling the adrenaline begin to course through her body. It would have to do.

She turned off the water and faced the door, taking a deep breath. Before she could chicken out, she slowly turned the handle and found Jackson closer than he had been when she had entered. He had the phone in his hand with the screen facing Lisa, anger flashing through his cerulean eyes.

The phone had been turned back on, and listed there for Lisa to see was a list of four missed calls from the hotel, and one missed message. In her shock, Lisa forgot for a moment about the dryer behind her back as Jackson pressed the 'play' button.

"_Hey, Lisa, it's Cynthia. I don't know what happened, you got cut off before I could hear what you wanted me to change. I hope it wasn't anything too important, if you get this-"_

Finally she snapped out of her daze. As Jackson stood there listening to the message, Lisa whipped her arm out from behind her and whacked her captor in the face with her makeshift weapon. It was harder than she had thought possible, and even though Jackson was able to lift his arm up in a belated attempt to dull the force, he fell back against the wall, gripping the side of his face with a groan. Without hesitating, Lisa stepped forward and hit him again, this time successfully sending him to the floor. A small trickle of blood fell from a gash on his forehead and he seemed, for now, to be unconscious. Shakily, and grateful she had had surprise on her side, she knelt down and picked up the phone, never taking her eyes off of the immobile Jackson, and slid over to the door.

She fumbled with the handle before realizing it was bolted shut, and just as she turned the lock she heard Jackson move behind her. She let out a whimper as Jackson started to stand again, and threw the door open and ran down the hallway just in time.

She heard Jackson yell incoherently behind her, making her move faster. The elevator was too far away, so she flew to her right down another hallway towards the stairwell, slamming the door open with an echo and jumped the stairs two at time. She flipped the phone open as she ran and held down her speed dial, effectively dialing her father.

"Come on come on!" she yelled, hoping beyond anything he would answer. She still had eight flights of stairs to travel down before she hit the lobby, and Jackson couldn't have been far behind but she didn't dare look. Finally, after racing down another floor, her father answered.

"Hello?" He said, sounding groggy and half asleep.

"Dad! You need to get out of the house, get out now!"

"What? Leese, what's wrong? Are you ok?"

She turned another corner, stumbling over the stairs, trying to focus on moving and talking at the same time. "No just please, don't use the front door, you need-"

The phone flew from her hand as Jackson finally caught up with her and she was pushed against the wall with violent force. She blacked out for a moment as her head hit the stone, and the next thing she knew Jackson had her wrists above her head with one hand and her mouth covered with his other, keeping her pinned tightly to the wall.

"Do not mess with me, Lisa." He said in a menacing whisper, his face barely an inch from her own. She struggled in his grip, her screams for help muffled behind his hand but hopefully loud enough to get someone's attention. He quickly switched positions and grabbed her throat, silencing her further.

"We are going to walk back up to your room now, quietly and without causing suspicion. If you _behave_-" he tightened his grip for emphasis "-I will think about sparing your father's life. Do you understand?"

Lisa tried nodding her head, but even then he held on longer than necessary. Just when she thought she would black out, he let go and she fell to the floor, tired and gasping, her vision bombarded with colorful dots. After a moment he lifted her up again, keeping a vice like grip on her arm. He leaned in close to her ear, his breath tickling her neck. "_You're going to regret doing that_."


End file.
